Boy, 7, walks out of Lowell school undetected, sparking mom's outrage

LOWELL - The mother and grandmother of a first-grader who walked out of Pawtucketville Memorial Elementary School unnoticed last week are angry that the boy was able to leave the school and what they perceive as blame on him for having walked out.

"Whoever was responsible in that classroom, who was not his regular teacher, did not have her eyes on him," said his mother, Nicole Jones, referring to who she said was a substitute teacher. "I'm advocating for my child and for all 500 other students in that school that something needs to be done."

Much else about the Friday, Jan. 20 incident is unknown, including how long the 7-year-old boy was missing, which door he left from, how common such incidents are, and more details about the school's protocol for such incidents.

Jeannine Durkin, the Lowell Public Schools deputy superintendent, declined to answer specific questions, saying that other details are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and by state student records laws.

School staff alerted key personnel when they noticed the boy was missing, Durkin said, and all classrooms and school grounds were searched. The school went into a "soft lockdown," in which classes continue normally but students aren't allowed to leave the classroom.

The state Department of Children and Families was notified as part of the district's protocol, she said.

The boy's family is unhappy with that response, saying he has no issues that need looking into.

"There was no apology.

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I go and get this evaluation because they're telling me that it's mandatory and I have to, and of course, that comes out normal," Jones said.

The Pawtucketville principal, Mathew McLean, declined to comment last week, referring questions to the superintendent's office.

Durkin said the district will review its safety protocols following the incident "to ensure the safety of all our students."

"As always, there are things we can improve upon," she said.

Lowell police filed what's known as a 51A report, which launches an investigation into what an officer believes to be a potential case of a child suffering physical or emotional harm. Durkin said the school also filed a 51A, which will spur the DCF to review the incident.

Police received a call at 10:18 a.m. last Friday from a caller reporting a child running down Varnum Avenue, police spokesman Capt. Tim Crowley said. An off-duty officer called less than a minute later with the same report, and that officer located the child at Meadow Drive, Crowley said, a distance of about a half-mile from the school.

The principal and another staff member arrived about 10 minutes later, the spokesman said. Crowley said they reported that the boy was in a classroom and asked to use the restroom, and that he left the room and didn't return.

Crowley said he had no record of the school having contacted police.

"I can't be more outraged," said Susan Sharaffa, the boy's grandmother. "In this day and age, a school should not be allowing any child to walk out of school. Something bad could have happened. It's lucky someone else didn't pick him up. Every parent should know about this."

The boy's mother told a slightly different story than what police gave. According to Jones, her son told his teacher he was tired, and she instructed him to go back to his desk. Upset, he left the school, she said.

Jones said she felt uneasy about how the whole incident was handled. She said school officials said her son may have made a plan to leave the school.

"I felt like all fingers were pointing toward my son. I didn't feel they were taking any responsibility. I left there numb," she said.

"My kid's not asking for attention," Jones continued. "He was very remorseful when my mom showed up. He was crying."

"These are little kids. Why aren't they monitoring the doors?" Jones said. "I just want this to be prevented so that no other parent has to get a call like I got."

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